What's Feeding Me π vol. 1
a monthly buffet of creative fodder + cerebral snacks
The Webs We Weave is a free weekly-ish newsletter on being in flux, staying connected to ourselves and our creativity, and feeling more connected in the world.
Maybe the best part about being both a Gemini and a Manifesting Generator is the way my whole brain lights up when it finds something new to latch onto, to become momentarily obsessed with.
My mind is a very hungry caterpillar. And few things delight me more than finding a new topic, teacher, project, podcast, idea, framework, or other bits of creative fodder to feast onβexcept maybe getting to talk about them with other people.
(see also: Gemini.)
You might have noticed in past newsletters Iβve shared a mini-roundup of things that were 'Catching My Attention' below the essay portion. Now itβs feeling like time to mix things up! Going forward, the plan is to experiment with sending one dedicated Whatβs Feeding Me roundup post (like this one!) around the middle of each month.
Iβll share a little buffet of things that have been keeping me fed and engaged: intellectually, creatively, sensorily, and emotionally. These are also a space where you're more than encouraged to share what's been feeding you, tooβboth with me and with each other.
Let's get to it!
ποΈ Podcast Faves
This American Life: Math or Magic?
Iβve been a This American Life devotee for years, dating back to childhood summers and long camping road trips with my parents. These days Iβm not an every-single-week listener, but I did get totally swept up in this recent episode about finding love and the age old question of whether itβs wiser to trust your head or your heart.
Song Exploder: Stick Season
Fun fact: Iβve yet to make it all the way through Noah Kahanβs song Stick Season without full-on weeping. (Maybe someday.) This episode of Song Exploder is a truly great layer-by-layer breakdown of that song and of how it all came together. (If youβre new to Song Exploder, itβs SO fun and interesting as a concept for a show! This episode is another one of my favorites.)
Maintenance Phase: The Body Mass Index
Rumor has it Maintenance Phase, my favorite wellness + junk science debunking podcast is set to return this month (!!) and this girl. is getting. impatient.
Iβve enjoyed digging back into the archives while I wait and rediscovering some old favorites, including this banger of an episode about the BMI (a great place to start if youβre new to MP). If you want more of a what the actual hell!? roller coaster, their episodes on Celery Juice and Belle Gibson are a wild ride.
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π Great Reads
[Poem] To the Sea
The truly delightful Anis Mojgani is Oregon's current Poet Laureate, and I was lucky enough to get to attend a talk with him this month. His poem To the Sea feels exactly like the way I want to be loved.
[Substack Piece] You Donβt Understand How Bad It Is Here
Thanks to Nic Antoinette for sharing this powerful piece from
: You Don't Understand How Bad It Is Here: on trying to capture the staggering cruelty of Israel's occupation of the West Bank.[Personal Essay] Actually, life is beautiful and I have time
Speaking of
, I keep coming back to this permission-giving essay she shared last month:βIf life is beautiful and I have time, that means I can work slowly and lovingly on what is most important to me. I donβt have to abandon deeper, more challenging projects to keep chasing the high of tasks that are quick to complete, urgent according to someone else, or sexy to post about on the internet.β
yes yes yes.
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ππΌββοΈ Current Project or Micro Obsession
Finding a right-fit task management system
I knowww, painfully dryβbut hear me out. Iβve always been super interested in how analogue + digital systems hold hands in my life, and how they can coexist in ways that create more ease rather than adding complexity, clunkiness, or redundancy. (Iβm also someone who savors the process of blowing up and rebuilding her systems, which Iβve learned to embrace. π€)
This is the digital task management system Iβm (painstakingly) working on migrating to after purchasing it months ago, hoping it can run parallel with my notebook stack and help me feel a bit less scattered.
(If the idea of digital + analogue systems working together feels interesting to you, this might be an interesting read!)
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π» A Human Whose Work Iβm Loving
Brendan Constantine
I was introduced to the poet Brendan Constantine earlier this month when I watched the recording of his guest workshop inside inside the writing community Iβm in, and I became an instant fan.
His teaching style is inviting and electric, packed with potent wisdom on craft. (I recently wrote about what might be my favorite nugget I learned from him, on βlistening for the knockβ.) Iβm now in that mode of just devouring his work: his poetry, all the workshops I can find, all the little nuggets and writing exercises he teaches inside themβ¦ take my money.
His poem, The Opposites Game, has gained popularity for a reasonβand given that heβs also a performer, watching him read the piece aloud is a real treat.
Rumor has it Brendan runs an annual 30 in 30 Challenge Workshop every April that offers tools and prompts to produce 30 poems in 30 days, and you best believe my eyes are peeled for more info.
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𦴠An Idea Iβm Chewing On
Iβm slowly wading into the world of poetry and wanting to get better at writing it, but the truth is I think Iβm at that annoying beginner stage where itβs really about volume: cranking out a lot of bad-to-mediocre work to grease the wheels, so you can start to find your rhythm.
Taking inspiration from NaNoWriMo and other daily writing challenges like it, Iβm seriously thinking about embarking on my own little private challenge once Iβm back from vacation next month: 30 Days of Bad Poems. Just me and a spiral notebook with a list of prompts and my favorite pen, no perfectionism or overthinking allowed.
(Have you ever tackled a daily creative project like this? I want to hear all about your experience, and/or any advice you have!)
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π€£ A Meme, Just Because
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Your turn!
Whatβs feeding you lately?
If youβre game, share one thing in the comments thatβs been feeding you lately. It could be a podcast, a book, a habit, a new favorite thing, a project thatβs lighting you upβ¦ anything! Letβs crowdsource some good creative fodder. π
Until next time,
Michelle
HAHAHA That meme at the end is everything. This is such a fun new feature and I love the way you've set it up. It's fun to get links and resources to things you've been mentioning in our Voxer chats so I can take a deeper dive. I'm definitely going to have to listen to a Song Exploder episode soonβwhat a fun concept. I've always admired your digital + paper set up and may need to implement some of the tips shared in that todoist post...